Project Summary Virology and Cure Research priorities in the ART era have shifted, and strategies to block HIV transmission, eradicate latent HIV reservoirs through a functional or sterilizing cure, and mitigate adverse outcomes of co-infections and comorbidities in infected patients are now major priorities. WG 2 consists of 24 CFAR members whose research is focused on the molecular and cell biological aspects of HIV related to these priorities: viral replication, restriction factors, and transmission (prevention); latency, reactivation, and elimination of reservoirs (cure); enhanced morbidity due to viral co-infections. The group has published 189 papers during the last funding cycle. The primary goal of WG2 is to promote interactions and collaborations between researchers at CWRU and beyond to unravel the biology behind HIV transmission, latency, and viral co-infections and translate these into effective therapies. WG2 promotes this scientific agenda through a variety of activities including (1) facilitating collaborative research by sponsoring seminars, journal clubs, research-in-progress meetings, and targeted meetings to discuss HIV initiatives, (2) forming and participating in national research consortia to promote and disseminate HIV research, and (3) mentoring and promoting the careers of junior investigators. Through these activities, WG2 will promote the following Specific Aims: ? To develop new interactions among investigators from various disciplines. ? To stimulate the formation of multi-investigator projects. WG2 success will be defined by the advancement of new collaborative projects, including: ? To stimulate cross-fertilization between working groups. In summary, WG2 is focused on promoting key scientific priorities for HIV research in the ART era. This agenda will be supported through targeted activities designed to foster collaborations within the CWRU/UH CFAR, develop supporting resources in the CFAR Cores and led and participate in national consortia in these areas. The WG2 has placed emphasis on engaging new investigators and has an excellent record of supporting the work of Mentored Scientist Pilot Grant and Catalytic Fund awardees.